Disappointment Greets JAMB Cancellation of Mock UTME

Disappointment and hopelessness greeted the cancellation of the mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) slated for Saturday by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
When the news filtered in that the scheduled mock exam which was billed to take place on Saturday, April 8, many of the candidates expressed disappointment.
The examination, which was scheduled to hold in some selected accredited centres across the country, was shifted at the last minute, thus infuriating the candidates.
The mock examination, which is not compulsory, was designed to acquaint prospective candidates on the demands of the examination and its processes, using the Computer Based Testing (CBT) mode.
Newsmen, who went out to monitor the examination in parts of Lagos, were surprised that candidates reported to their respective centres as early as 5.00 a.m.
At one of the centres in Ikeja, candidates waited patiently till about 2.00 p.m. for the examination to start.
It was gathered that when an official of JAMB at the centre was approached, to know why the examination was delayed, he said they were experiencing network problems.
Not long after that, the official, who pleaded anonymity, said that information reaching him indicated that the examination had been postponed nationwide.
He added that the postponement was due to “some unforeseen circumstances” and that a new date would be communicated to the prospective candidates.
The official said that JAMB regretted the development and pleaded for understanding.
The information was later communicated to candidates, who expressed disappointment as they left the venue.
One of the candidates said he hoped JAMB would avoid the hitch during the examination proper.
“Imagine what just happened; we have been waiting here as early as 6.00 a.m. only for us to be informed that the examination will no longer hold.
“I feel disappointed even though it is a trial examination, but at the same time, it is an eye opener for the organisers to be on their toes, get it right before May 6,” the candidate said.
Another candidate, Samuel Joel, said that the country had come a long way to be having such challenges.
“I do not really know the main reason for the postponement of the mock examination, but I just think that somewhere somehow, things did not just turn out fine.
“I am not happy going home now without doing the examination after waiting for about eight hours.
“Whatever it is that was responsible for the problem should be tackled as quickly as possible to regain our confidence ,” he said.